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The Master of Arts in Social and Emerging Media (MASEM) program introduces students to state-of-the-art research methods, strategies and production practices for social and emerging media.
Students will learn to plan, research, write, produce and distribute professional media for multiple platforms. Specific areas of study include emerging media technologies, digital storytelling, visual design, audio and video creation, user experience production, audience and user experience research, media strategy and analytics, project management, media policy, law and regulation. The program blends technological expertise with the creative arts and promotes peer engagement and faculty mentoring.
Students will learn to approach media creatively and strategically, to understand and to respond effectively to media audiences and to engage users through compelling storytelling, arresting visual design, and adept implementation of the latest interactive technologies. This program will prepare students for work in a variety of fields that value strong written and visual communication skills, professional training in audio and video production, an understanding of new and emerging media platforms, technical savvy, training in research and data analysis, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
- Core Courses
- Elective Courses
- Capstone
- Plan of Study
- Policies
Core Courses
MASEM students must take all five core courses.
SEM 601 Digital Storytelling
This course teaches the fundamentals of good storytelling while introducing techniques for engaging audiences across a variety of media forms. Students explore how sound, images, interactivity, immersive video, virtual reality and other emerging technologies are transforming storytelling practices in journalism, content writing, popular entertainment and the arts. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate what they have learned by creating their own digital storytelling projects.
SEM 602 Visual Design for Emerging Media
In this studio-based course, students learn how to integrate diverse practices of art and design as they pertain to web-based, social media and emerging visual communication. Students gain necessary skills to unify visual concepts through an engagement with aesthetics, lighting, platform modification and video presentation methods. This course also gives specific technical information regarding the use of the Adobe Creative Suite, and hands-on materials-based research with a range of tools for digital recording and output.
SEM 603 Social Media Production
This course includes technical demonstrations, in-class shoots and critiques of student work. Basic history, theory and aesthetics of related media are presented. Special emphasis is given to the rapid concepting, shooting, and editing of effective short social media content.
SEM 604 Social Media Strategy and Analytics
This course prepares students to learn and apply strategic digital communication principles for analyzing the impact of social media messages. Using data recollection and analysis techniques, students will learn how to interpret data strategically, identify relevant consumer insights, and create actionable plans that respond to challenges and opportunities.
SEM 605 Emerging Technologies and Applications
This hands-on course will explore new developments in immersive media, mixed and virtual realities, alternative and embedded screens, physical computing, AI, biosensors, trackers, etc., and explore how those tools can provide essential data on how clients and users interact with products.